


Peltogyne

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - No Titans (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 13:26:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18411566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In an effort to impress his captian, Eren accidentally destoryed the man's desk. While he's away he makes him a new one, a love confession hidden deep inside the wood hes carved





	Peltogyne

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY [CAPTIAN-REDCHAR](http://captain-redchar.tumblr.com)  
> I know this is a touch early but it's only like two hours before your birthday anyway, right?  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy it! I love you, our fandom loves you, and we are forever greatful that you've created the art for us that you have :D You deserve the world, and I wish I could give it to you. But here's a fic instead.

Even though his hands were sore, Eren continued sanding down the wood in front of him. It was almost therapeutic, his hands moving back and forth over the wood, catching and removing any little pieces that fought against him as he smoothed the surface into something more acceptable. 

He'd be at this for weeks, each painstakingly hour a reminder of the person he was doing this for. His own captain, a man he could never have for himself but maybe a man he could make happy with what seemed like such a simple gift.

A new desk, something larger and more sturdy than the one Levi used to have. A new desk to..  _ replace _ the one that Eren had accidentally destroyed in one of his previous attempts to impress his superior.

Using a wobbly candle while waxing Levi's desk was his first mistake. Letting has eyes close while he shoved Levi's jacket into his face to breathe in the man's scent was his second mistake. The third,  _ and largest mistake _ , had been throwing a used cleaning bucket onto the fire that erupted over the desk. Who knew that dirty cleaning water would only fuel the flames that engulfed the captain's desk?

Levi had been gone for two months, thankfully traveling the day after the desk incident, giving Eren more than enough time to find a replacement for the man. When he had gone to the city to find something though, nothing jumped out to Eren's eye. None of it would be worthy of the man who protected all of them, the man who had taken Eren into his squad and trained him better than any other officer could even attempt to do, the man who had no fucking clue how madly, how deeply, how crazily in love Eren was with him.

Anytime Eren closed his eyes, Levi was there, his small smile whenever he took a sip of his tea, his frown whenever Eren misstepped during training and landed on his ass, his scowl whenever Erwin handed him more useless paperwork that took all of the free time out of his day. His favorite thoughts were when he was alone in his bedroom, and he could close his eyes and picture Levi for more than just a few seconds.

When he could lay on his back and touch himself, thinking of Levi's towering over him, taking him for the first time and filling him with the passion he craved for so long. Eren would place one hand over his mouth to hold back his moans, thinking of it as Levi's hand to keep his quiet, his fist flew over his cock to finish him to completion, all of his thoughts filled with Levi.

Levi Levi Levi.

The guilt of destroying his desk was too much, the ash from the burned wood had Levi twitching his brow and shouting for Eren to clean it that instant. He had. But the anger in Levi's voice still hadn't left Eren, and he was desperate to make it up to him.

The wood he picked was.. different. It was a choice he had made purely by accident. When he was unable to find a desk that suited Levi's needs, Hanji had suggested he go out into the woods and pick a tree to make something from scratch.

Years had passed since Eren had worked with wood, his own father being a craftsmen meant he learned a lot while he was growing up, and he hoped it would be enough to build something for Levi. He knew how to properly choose your wood, to measure twice and cut once, the effect different varnishes could have on a variety of woods, but what he didn't know were the types of trees that grew around their headquarters.

Anytime Eren helped his father, the wood was already cut into smaller pieces, the bark trimmed off and put to the side to be burned later. Which meant that when he went searching through the woods to find the perfect tree.. Eren was completely lost.

He knew that a maple tree would make a great desk, the lightly colored wood would be a welcome change in the captain's office. But it would clash with his current darker decor, Eren figured it would almost look white against the worn brown flooring and walls.

An oak tree wouldn't be out of the question, it wouldn't be a very classy desk but he would always use a darker stain to try and make it look a little better. It was easy to work with and cheap if he needed to go into town to buy more,  _ since he had no idea what the hell he was looking for. _

Mahogany would be his preferred choice, a deep brown with a tint of red, something that would match the office, a desk that Levi could sit behind proudly. Eren could imagine the sun setting behind his superior, the natural warmth of the light making the reds in the wood come to life, framing Levi and making him appear even more handsome.

The problem was, Eren had no god damn clue what any of those wood choices looked like in tree form.

When he went out into the forest, sitting on his horse with a wagon following behind them, he was overwhelmed with the sheer source and variety of trees he could choose from. Short trees, tall trees, fat trees, thin trees, it was a mess.

Then.. he ran into the same issue that he had when he was looking at desks to purchase. None of the trees around him  _ looked _ like something Levi would appreciate. Eren knew he was being too picky, that Levi just wanted something to be able to sit at and fill out his paperwork, but Eren  _ had _ to do this.

If he never told Levi how much he loved him then he would sure as hell show him through a handmade desk.

The uncertainty in the tree choices was how Eren ended up cutting down a tree at random. One that he assumed was oak.. and was horribly wrong. The teen hadn't noticed until it was already down, the tree laying on the ground and waiting to be chopped into small pieces. As Eren dug his axe into the lightly colored bark, he noticed the color inside the tree changing to something else.

And it was perfect.

“Eren,” Hanji was standing outside next to the teen, looking over the chunks of the tree that sat in the wagon waiting to be used.  “This is a peltogyne tree.”

“Is that bad?” He asked, unsure of himself and worried that his trip to the forest was pointless. If it was a weak breed then he couldn't use it..

“No..” she trailed off, grabbing one of the smaller pieces and twisting it around in her hands for a better look. “Are you sure this is the one you want to use? It's very rare.”

Eren wanted to tell her that he knew it was rare. Just from looking at it.. he'd never seen anything like it. The white on the outside was what brought him to that tree, for which he was forever grateful, the inside of the trunk showed him that he had picked a tree that matched Levi perfectly.

A stark white on the outside, matching Levi's unapproachable exterior, strong and showing years of fighting against the wind. But the inside was a deep purple, a color that had Eren gasping from the vibrancy of it. A color that suited Levi, showing his caring side that no one else ever saw, reminding Eren of the times that Levi would show his true self.

When they would go to the market and find a rare tea, Levi would bring the leaves up to his nose and take a deep breath before paying the merchant for the tea he couldn't live without. When he offered his bread to a child on the street when he thought no one was looking. When he gave his mother's handkerchief to Eren, told him to keep it, that his mother would have wanted someone else to have it.

Strong on the outside, and even stronger and more caring on the inside..

The tree was rare, just like Eren's captain.

Which meant it was  _ perfect _ .

Eren smiled down at the desk, happy with himself over how it was turning out. The sanding was finished, all that was left was the very last step, varnish. Levi wouldn't be back for another week, which meant that Eren had more than enough time to finish.

The can was heavy, Eren purchased enough of the thick liquid to give the desk a few coats to ensure it would last Levi a lifetime. He worked slowly, dipping his brush into the can and smearing it over the top of the desk, smiling as the wood absorbed the varnish and became brighter because of it. He hummed to himself as he worked, careful to even out the liquid so no parts would dry with thick globs of the stuff and make the desk uneven.

It was gorgeous.

The best piece of furniture that Eren had ever made in his entire life.

The deep purple fit Levi's office nicely, and the white trim around the edges was used only so Eren could remind himself how Levi was so different than anyone he'd ever meant. To Levi it would be a beautiful desk, the trim nothing more than an addition to the design. But to Eren this desk was a hidden proposal, a sign of his secret love, a desk for Levi to use everyday and have no idea how much he means to Eren. The trim being added was to show how Eren sees Levi, his secret way of saying he loves how he presents himself, but at the same time that he loves the deep purple surrounding it.

Eren was so focused on the desk that he didn't notice the figure leaning on the archway leading into the office, watching him as he worked with a small smile.

“What's this?” Levi spoke after a few minutes, chuckling to himself as Eren nearly jumped out of his skin.

Eren dropped his brush into the can, standing and facing his captain with a well rehearsed salute, “It's a desk, sir.”

Levi waved him off, signaling for Eren to relax from his straight posture. “I know it's a desk,” He clicked his tongue and moved into the room to stand in front of it. Eren held his breath as Levi inspected it, hoping that the captain wouldn't notice any of the small flaws. “I'm wondering why you're painting it.”

Eren rubbed at the back of his neck, “It needed a varnish, .. the wood wouldn't last very long without it.” 

“A varnish?” Levi questioned, it was a strong horrible smell that filled the office, forcing Eren to open all the windows and doors so that it wouldn't make the room reek. “Why on Earth wouldn't that be done when you bought the desk?”

_ Oh. _

Eren hadn't thought of this. He was just going to leave the desk in Levi's office, not say anything and hope that he liked it. The thought of Levi finding out it wasn't just a store bought desk never crossed his mind. Yet here he was, applying a varnish and having no excuse. He couldn't tell Levi he bought it somewhere or else Levi would go hunting for his money back. Because who would buy an unfinished desk?

“I-I didn't buy it,” Eren tried not to fumble his words but it was difficult with Levi standing there, his arms crossed over his chest while he waited for his answer. “I made it.”

“You made me a desk,” It wasn't a question, it was a statement, one that had Eren chewing on his bottom lip with worry.

“Yes, sir.”

“Why?”

There were thousands of reasons, each one never to be spoken. The one answer, the loudest one screaming in the back of his mind was love. To tell Levi how much he loved him, that the desk was nothing compared to how much he loved him. That the hours he spent hunched over and building something so challenging meant nothing to him as long as Levi was happy. That he would do it a million times over just for the chance to have Levi in the same room as him.

“None of the other desks seemed to suit you,” Eren offered up as his answer. Not the confession he wanted to say, but, like the desk, it was his own way of saying it in secrecy.

“And you know what suits me, do you?” Levi smirked as Eren's cheeks reddened, the teen darting his eyes away from his captain and down to the desk. “Relax,” Levi elbowed Eren in his side, making the teen squeak in surprise. “I love it.”

Eren's head jerked up, meeting Levi's eyes, searching for pity, of disgust, or humor, anything that told him Levi didn't actually mean that. But all he found was fondness, and it was a miracle he didn't melt into the floor boards from it. Eren thought he'd seen every side to Levi, but this one he must have missed. “You do?” He asked, needing the reassurance, needing to hear Levi praise his work again.

“I do,” Levi sighed and looked down to the desk, he held his hand above it, wanting to touch all of the hard work Eren had done for him but dropped his hand knowing he would ruin the varnish if he did. “No one has ever done something like this for me before.” 

Eren chuckled, his body buzzing with pure happiness, “I highly doubt that, lots of people are in love with you “ Eren laughed before continuing, “You've probably gotten all kinds of gifts from people confessing to you.”

Levi nodded, his eyes still studying and desk. “Is that what this is?” He asked, his knuckles coming down to knock on a bare piece of wood that hadn't been varnished yet. “A love confession?”

It took a moment for Eren to process what Levi had just said, wondering how the hell he had been figured out so easily. But his previous words dawned on him. It was a confession, he literally just told Levi it was a confession and didn't even realize it.

He was blurting out a reply before he could form a lie, “Yeah, it is.” Damn all his years of training and being forced to always tell the truth.

Levi hummed and took his hand away from the desk, turning to face the teen and letting his arms cross over his chest once again. “I'm afraid I only brought you a box of chocolates,” Levi spoke casually and gestured to his bag that was sitting near the door. “Not nearly as romantic as a fucking desk.”

“What?” Eren couldn't decide if he wanted to step forward or step back, it didn't matter anyway because he was frozen solid. Levi brought him chocolates? What did that even mean?

Levi shook his head and walked to the bag and crouched down to dig through it, not stopping until he revealed a delicately wrapped box. He held it out to Eren, waiting for the teen to move forward and take it from him. “I was going to bring you flowers,” Levi mumbled once Eren took the box, he watched as the teen ran his hands over the ribbons, to nervous to open the box. “And say something terrible like, ‘without you I'm like these flowers, they need the sun to survive, just like I need you,’” Levi trailed off, heat creeping up his cheeks as he actually said those rehearsed words out loud. “It wouldn't have been very romantic if they died on the way here though, would it?”

Eren smiled and shook his head with a laugh, still in disbelief, “No, dead flowers wouldn't be a great gift.”

“Chocolates then,” Levi shrugged, still unsure of the gift.

“You're in love with me?” Was all Eren could say, he always felt it was obvious that he had feelings for Levi, thankfully no one ever said anything. But for him to feel the same way in return..

“I am,” Levi began, the blush on his cheeks remaining as he spoke. “Didn't realize it at first. Not till after the first week I was gone.” Levi reached forward to take the box of chocolates from Eren, just so he could toss it back over to his bag and grab Eren's hands. Eren flinched from his touch, l knowing that his hands were dry and cracked from all the work he'd done.. but Levi didn't seem to mind it.

“I missed you, Eren,” Levi squeezed his hands carefully. “I missed your dorky smile in the mornings, the way you make my tea a bit too strong and how you would check the temperature of it before bringing it to me.. thinking I didn't notice.”

“Levi-”

“I'm in love with you, Eren,” Levi rushed out. “Even if sometimes you're a complete screw up..” He chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Somehow I still fell in love with you.”

That was all Eren needed to hear. “I love you too, so much,” Eren mumbled before he wrapped his arms around Levi. He let his head drop, buying his face into Levi's neck and smiled into his skin.

Levi lifted one hand to grip at the back of Eren's neck, pulling him over and connecting their lips into a kiss that Eren had imagined a million times. His lips were soft, more soft than Eren expected, and the way they moved against his own was like tasting heaven.

They pulled back, Levi resting his head against Eren's chest as they breathed together. “I still can't believe you made me a fucking desk,” Levi laughed into Eren's shirt, gripping the material tightly and wishing to remove it.

“And it's purple,” Eren laughed back, his arms wrapping around Levi and pulling him even closer.

“Purple was an interesting choice,” Levi teased, earning himself a smack to side. “How sturdy is this desk away?”

“Very,” Eren mumbled, the embrace with Levi almost making him feel drunk with love. “Why?”

“Because I want to fuck you on it.”


End file.
